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Oct. 18, 1932. P. F. TITCHENER 1,333,113

IE'IHOD OF MAKING STAPLE BLOCKS Filed April 30, 1930 VI IN'II/ENTOR,

BY 51/1. I: FTCHENE/F.

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- smooth surface extending the full length of Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics PAUL IF. TITCHENEB, 0]? BINGEAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 OSCAR D. GIBBS AND ERIC, I SCHINGER, BOTH OF ROCHESTER, NEW YQRK METHOD OF MAKING STAPLE BLOCKS Application filed April 30, 1930. Serial No. 448,715.

This invention relates to staples adapted to i be used in stapling machines and has for one of its objects to provide a new and improved method and means whereby a plurality of such staples may be fastened together to facilitate their insertion into the magazine of the stapling machine.

Another object of the invention is to include in the fastening means a reinforcing member.

Another object of this invention is to apply the reinforcing member of the fastening means to the staples so that it provides a the row of staples which are held together by the fastening means.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method by which the reinforcing member of the fastening means is automatically attached to the staples.

These and other objects of this invention will be apparent from the drawing, the specification and the appended claims forming a part thereof.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a row or block of staples fastened together with the reinforced fastening means.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the block of staples illustrated in Figure 1, the section being taken on the line Qm-Qw of Fi ure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a block of staples in process of having the "reinforcing member attached thereto.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of a V portlon of one of the staple blocks in which the reinforcing member'is located on the inside of the staples instead of the outside thereof.

In the several figures of the drawing like reference numerals indicate like parts.

The method and means for fastening a plurality of staples into blocks forming the subjectmatter of my present invention is especially adapted for use with large and heavy staples although smaller and lighter ,staples may be held together by this same method and means. The larger and heavier staples are particularly intended for use in stapling machines for stapling heads into are e ected so that they either line up themselves on a suitable guide member (not shown) or are readily lined up thereon by the attendant of the staple making machine. The

guide member comprises a rod or bar of suitable cross section and dimension whi enables the staples to straddle it so that a plurality of them can be supported and lined up thereon with relation to each other. The staples, as illustrated in the figures are prefera ly grouped in a block of twenty-five, fifty or one hundred and each has a straight back 2 and the shanks or sides 3 and 4 which project at right angles from their back 2 parallel to each other. The free ends of the shanks 3 and 4 have the nail or pyramid shaped points 3A and M provided thereon so that the staples, when driven from the staplingmachine, will follow a straight course and will not deflect to either one side or the other thereof.

After a number of staples are made and temporarily held together side by side in a continuous row, glue or other suitable binding material is applied to the outside of the staples. This may be done by either painting the outside of the staples with the binding material or dipping the staples into the fluid binding material so that the desired amount of binding material will adhere to the proper surface and is coated thereby. In practice both sides and the back of the staples or either the one or the other, or just one side and the back may thus be coated with the binding material which referably consists of a quick drying glue of good adhesive quality. p

The row of staples thus coated is then placed onthe reinforcing material 5 as illustrated in Figure 3; that is, with the back of the staples resting on the reinforcing material. The binding material, whichhas been applied to the back of the staples, flows down the sides thereof because of its still liquid or semi-liquid state, and thus binds the reinforcing material to the back of the staples and fills the spaces between the staples and the reinforcing material. The reinforcin material 5 is preferabl a sheet of paper a grade and quality 0 that of news paper stock or similar thereto. Of course a higher grade of paper and correspondingly stronger texture may be used instead but the cheaper grade has been found satisfactory for the purpose: Other reinforcing material such as woven fabric of one kind or another may of course also be substituted for the paper 15 it it is found desirable to increasethe strength of the reinforcing material. I I The reinforcing material is supported flat so that when the backs of the staples are placed on it,-they are held in line with each go other and form a block having a straight continuous back and corres ondingly straight and continuous sides, I e sides orshanks 3 and 4 of the staples are held together by the adhesive properties of the binding ma- 5 terial, the outside of which. has been coated and a certain amount is located between the successive sides or shanks of the staples. Unless the'bindifig material is however reinforced with a reinforcing materialhaving 10a tensile strength greater than that of the binding material it has been found in practice that the heavier staples will easil break away from each other. To prevent the sides or shanks of the staples from breaking away as from each other the reinforcing material 5 is therefore applied to the back of the staple blocks. Furthermore a cheaper binding material maybe used with the reinforcing material and still have the sta les bound too gather withafar greater bin ing force than is developed by the best of binding materials. While, I have illustrated the staples as having the reinforcing material applied to the back'of the staples it is readily seen that the reinforcing material ma be applied to either one side or the other y simply placing the block of staples with one side on the reinforcing material instead of with the back as illustrated in Figure 3. The reinforcing material is preferably'a large sheet and many blocks of staples may be placed on it side by side and end to end and allowed to rest there- .on until the binding material is thoroughly dry. The reinforcin material is then severed between the bloc s of staples to separate 'them after which the reinforcin material may be trimmed as illustrated'in igure 1 so that it will not overhang the sides of the block of sta les and I sertion into t e magazine of the staplingmachine.

In Figure 3 I have illustrated the reinforcing material ap) lied to the inside of the back of the staple ock. In this case the reinforcing material is made up in a strip 6 which rmittheir ready inis placed into the block and held against the inside of the back of the staples in any suitable manner in which the staples are at the" same time held in line with each other in a straight continuous row. The staples may also be coated and held together by means of the binding material alone and then afterwards have the reinforcing material applied separately to either the outside or inslde of the block thus formed.

Paper stock is used for the reinforcing material because it is a fibrous material of sufficient tensile strength and providesa reinforcing means which can be readily severed in the stapling machine to permit individual staples to be ejected therefrom.

I claim:

1. The method of fastening a plurality of staples into a block which consists in coating a portion of a series of the staples with a liquid binding material placing the coated portion of the series of staples onto a sheet material while the liquid binding material is still in the liquid state in order to hold the binding material between the sides of the individual staples during the drying period.

2. The method of fastening a plurality of staples into a block which consists in coating large sections of a series of the staples with a liquid binding material and then placing the series of staples with their large coated section on a fibrous binding material to allow the li uid binding material to collect between the sides of the individual staples and hold this liquid binding material between the sides of the individual staples while drying.

3. The method of fastening a plurality of staples into a block which consists in coating a portion of the outside of the staples with a liquid binding material and then placing the coated portion of the staples onto a thin fibrous sheet material and permit it to dry thereon and hold the binding material between the sides of the individual staples and the sheet material while drying.

4. The method of fastening a plurality of staples into a block'which consists in first coating a ortion of a series of the staples with adhesive binding material and then supporting the coated portions of the staples in a continuous row on a fibrous sheet material to have the binding material collect and dry between the'sta les and on the fibrous sheet material to bin consecutive-staples to each othler and the fibrous reinforcing sheet matena In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

PAUL F. TITCI-IENER. 

